Focus

As you quiet yourself for this brief time, be willing to be open to God in whatever way that may take place.

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Read

Proverbs 7:1-4 (NRSV)

My son, keep my words
and treasure up my commandments with you;
keep my commandments and live,
keep my teachings as the apple of your eye;
bind them on your fingers,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend;

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Reflect

What do we do to keep wisdom alive in our lives? The writer of Proverbs encourages us to keep the commandments, bind them on our fingers, and write them on our hearts. As I read this passage, I cannot help but think about God’s Word. What do we do to develop that kind of closeness to God’s Word?

The writer says to call wisdom our intimate friend. I have several friends, but I have only a couple of intimate friends. These friends are people to whom I can completely open up without worrying about their judgment or questioning their loyalty. As I wrote this eVotion, I asked myself if my relationship with God’s word is as intimate as these friendships.

God’s Word is always available to us. God’s Word will not steer us wrong as long as we listen to it with an openness to God’s Spirit speaking in and through the text. God’s Word is faithful. As people in the Reformed tradition, God’s Word is the only thing able to bind our conscience and serve as our infallible rule of faith and practice.

May we always faithful to God’s Word. May we hear when God speaks through God’s Word. May we never attempt to misuse God’s Word by making it say what it does not. May we, as the writer says, “Keep these words and store them up.”

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Pray

God, you have given us your word. Help us to hear and obey it. Let us use it for wisdom. Let us not abuse it or abuse others with it. Keep us open to your voice. Help us to keep your word as our most intimate of friends. Amen.

Go with God.